This invention relates generally to apparatus for raking up rocks from the ground and, more particularly, to apparatus adapted to be attached to a self-propelled vehicle and adapted to rake up the rocks as the vehicle travels over the ground.
Apparatus of this general type is disclosed in Baskett U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,732. In general, the apparatus comprises a raking unit having a toothed rotor supported to rotate about a laterally extending axis by two laterally spaced side walls. A bucket is pivotally connected to one end of the raking unit and collects the rocks raked up by the unit. The bucket also is pivotally connected to lift arms of the vehicle and, by actuating such arms, the raking unit and the bucket may be lifted from the ground to a transport position. After the raking unit has been moved to a dumping location, an actuator between the vehicle and the bucket is operated to cause the bucket to pivot to an open position relative to the raking unit and enable dumping of the rocks. In order to enable lifting of the raking unit and opening of the bucket, additional actuators are required between the raking unit and the bucket.
The rotor of the raking unit of the Baskett patent is in the form of a hollow drum. Laterally extending and angularly spaced channels are welded to the periphery of the drum and each carries a plurality of laterally spaced teeth. Small rocks and dirt tend to become trapped between the teeth and against the drum and are carried back around with the drum rather than being raked up.
Additional rock raking apparatus is disclosed in Baskett U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,023 and Erholm U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,434. Those devices, however, require extremely complex raking units in that the apparatus of the Baskett '023 patent utilizes multiple rotors while the apparatus of the Erholm patent utilizes endless chains to carry the raking teeth.